Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Picktime vs Planday

Picktime logo

Picktime

Scheduling

Appointment, class and resource booking with an unusually capable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planday logo

Planday

Scheduling

Danish workforce scheduling and shift management software for shift-based businesses

From
£2.99/user per month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Picktime has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Picktime the Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.; Planday plus and Pro pricing not published; requires contacting sales
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Picktime and Planday actually diverge.

Attributes where Picktime and Planday differ
AttributePicktimePlanday
Starting priceFree£2.99/user per month
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Picktime

  • Free tier with three staff
  • Resource booking
  • Class and course booking
  • SMS reminders
  • Two way calendar sync
  • Payments
  • Multilingual booking pages
  • Booking approval

Only in Planday

Nothing recorded that Picktime does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Picktime

  • A public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at allnot Planday
  • A two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a monthnot Planday
  • A community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venuesnot Planday
  • A small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a stationnot Planday

Planday

  • Workforce scheduling and managementnot Picktime
  • Time tracking and payroll integrationnot Picktime
  • Employee scheduling for retail and hospitalitynot Picktime
  • Rostering and shift managementnot Picktime

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Picktime

  • The Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.
  • SMS is only on paid plans and the free tier is email only, so the no cost option loses the single feature that most reduces no shows.
  • Reporting is limited to basic booking counts and revenue totals, so any business that wants utilisation by resource, staff productivity or cohort retention will be exporting data and analysing it elsewhere.
  • Integrations beyond calendar, payments and Zapier are sparse, with no native connection to mainstream CRM or practice management systems, meaning customer data lives in a second silo that someone reconciles manually.
  • Support is email only with no phone or guaranteed response time, which is acceptable at three dollars a user but a genuine risk if the booking page goes down on a trading day.

Planday

  • Plus and Pro pricing not published; requires contacting sales
  • Starter tier requires minimum of 5 users making it unsuitable for solo operations
  • Plus plan pricing per user not specified on pricing page

Pricing, plan by plan

Picktime

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Three staff members
    • Two locations and three resources
    • Unlimited appointments
  • Starter$3/month
    • Per user, billed annually
    • Three staff and two locations
    • SMS notifications and reminders
  • Pro$2.25/month
    • Per user, billed annually, minimum ten users
    • Unlimited locations
    • Customisable emails

Planday

£2.99/user per month
  • Starter$2.99/user per month
    • Intuitive scheduling
    • Simple time tracking
    • Working time rules
  • Plus$null/mo
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Leave and absence management
    • Accurate payroll reporting and integrations
  • Pro$null/mo
    • Custom planning metrics
    • Auto-scheduling
    • Configurable organisational structure

Which should you pick?

Choose Picktime if

  • You need free tier with three staff.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want resource booking.
Picktime review

Choose Planday if

Nothing in the data separates Planday from Picktime on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Planday review

Questions people ask

Is Picktime or Planday better?
Neither clearly leads. Picktime starts at Free and Planday at £2.99/user per month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Picktime or Planday?
Picktime has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Picktime and £2.99/user per month for Planday.
Does Picktime or Planday run on more platforms?
Picktime runs on Web, iOS, Android. Planday runs on Web.
Can I use Picktime for free?
Yes. Picktime has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Planday starts at £2.99/user per month.
What is Picktime best used for?
Picktime is most often used for a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all, a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month, a community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venues, a small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a station. Of those, a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all and a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month are not what Planday is typically brought in for.
What can Picktime do that Planday cannot?
Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, Resource booking, Class and course booking, SMS reminders.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Picktime: Is the free plan actually usable long term?

Yes. It allows three staff, two locations and unlimited appointments permanently. The main limits are no SMS and PayPal only for payments.

Planday: How much does Planday cost?

Planday's Starter plan costs £2.99 per user per month with a minimum of 5 users required. Plus and Pro plans require contacting sales for custom pricing.

Source
Picktime: Can it book rooms and equipment?

Yes. Resources are first class objects and can be booked alongside or independently of staff.

Planday: Does Planday offer a free trial?

Yes, Planday offers a 30-day free trial available for both Starter and Plus plans with no credit card required. You can cancel anytime.

Source
Picktime: Why does Pro cost less per user than Starter?

Pro is priced for a block of ten users. Below that headcount the per user rate on Starter is what you pay.

Planday: What is the minimum Planday commitment?

The Starter tier requires a minimum of 5 users at £2.99 per user per month. Annual prepayment may offer different terms; contact sales for details.

Source
Picktime: Does it take card payments?

Stripe and Square on paid plans; the free plan supports PayPal only.

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